February lacrosse may be cold to the bones but has been pleasing to the eye. Offenses are humming and playing at a very high level. There has been no shortage of drama with several games going into overtime. All perfect fodder for the first Tuesday Takeaways of 2014.

What Happened: Virginia moved to 3-0

Takeaway: A year removed from a 7-8 campaign, the Wahoos have won all three of their games by one goal. The 2013 Cavaliers were 1-3 in one-goal games, so this team is finding a way to win. So what’s changed? For one, there is some stability in the goal. Freshman Matt Barrett seems to be getting stronger with each game. In Virginia’s most recent win, an 11-10 decision over Drexel, Barrett stopped 16 Dragon shots, including several big stops late. Second, the EMO is sizzling, converting at a rate of 75%. James Pannell and Mark Cockerton have become a formidable one-two punch on the attack. Areas of concern? Virginia has surrendered big leads in all three of the contests; they need to learn how to close teams out minus the drama. Keep in mind UVa started 2013 4-0, so while the hot start has been positive a lot of challenges still await.